Prince William Returns to Naval College 15 Years After Training There — See Then and Now Photos

The Prince of Wales has many special connections to Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth

Prince William had a full-circle moment in familiar stomping grounds.

On Thursday, the Prince of Wales, 41, attended the passing out parade at The Lord High Admiral's Divisions at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Prince William made the trip to represent his father, King Charles, at the cadet graduation, he also has a special connection to the college. William participated in a naval training course at the hub in 2008 for his multifaceted military education that included stints with the British Army and Royal Air Force.

Not only is it common for future monarchs to train with various branches of their country’s armed forces — 18-year-old Princess Leonor of Spain is currently enrolled in a similar program — but Prince William also followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather Prince Philip in studying at Dartmouth. In a sweet twist of family history, a teenage Queen Elizabeth met her future husband at the Royal Naval College when she accompanied her father, King George VI, to a passing out parade there in 1939.

Related: Prince William Recalls Moment Queen Elizabeth Met Prince Philip at Naval College Graduation   

Prince William was 25 when he began a two-month training at Dartmouth, which was split into shore training with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines and a deployment at sea on the HMS Iron Duke. While William had already graduated from Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (toasted with a passing out parade there!) in 2006 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant in the British Army, he took on the equivalent rank of Sub-Lieutenant during his days with the Royal Navy.

In a statement announcing the training, the royal family said that William would be known as Sub-Lieutenant Wales, using his father Charles’ title at the time — the Prince of Wales — as his surname. After King Charles acceded to the throne in September 2022, he named William as his heir and the new Prince of Wales. Today, William's three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — follow suit in the classroom and use Wales as their last name at school rather than their royal titles.

William seemed to be in good spirits as he returned to the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth on Thursday, where he took the royal salute as more than 100 Royal Navy cadets and international colleagues graduated.

Related: Prince William Evokes Mom Princess Diana's Memory in Rare Emotional Moment: See the Photo

Dressed for the duty, the Princes of Wales wore the Royal Navy greatcoat, complete with cap and sword, and later changed into the Royal Navy No.1B uniform of full-size medals, garter star and decorative gold cord known as aiguillettes. The latter look marked an important first as William’s first time wearing the more formal Royal Navy uniform.

"It is a great honor for me, as Commodore-in-Chief Submarines, to be with you here in BRNC, representing His Majesty The King at Lord High Admiral’s Divisions," the Prince of Wales said in his speech after taking the salute. Slipping in a joke with a reference to the weather, he continued, "To put your minds at ease, I know all too well how cold it gets when standing still on an exposed parade ground, so my promise to you is that I shall keep this short, allowing you to get through those grand doors and on to your hard-earned celebrations!"

"Whilst my own Passing Out Parade was at Sandhurst, Britannia Royal Naval College still holds a very special place in my heart. It is well known that my grandmother and grandfather met here, while my great-grandfather King George VI was conducting these very duties," William said, referencing the sweet story of how his grandmother, who was then known as Princess Elizabeth, met Prince Philip when they were teens.

In a more somber moment, the royal also reflected on the duties the naval officers will now have to conduct on behalf of the U.K. and N.A.T.O.

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"I fully appreciate that standing here in these beautiful and peaceful surroundings, the risks of leadership on the front line might seem a world away, but you will shortly be marching through these doors behind me because you are trained, and ready to take the next step on your journeys as Naval Officers," William said. "To the families and friends gathered here and watching online — thank you for your support and understanding to get these brilliant men and women this far, and even more so for the empathy, compromise, and dedication that will be required to give these Young Officers every chance of success in their careers."

"Finally to you, our newest Naval Officers, congratulations. I wish you every success as you embark on this incredible journey of duty and service to our Nation; thank you."

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